


Impossible

by sporadic_obsession



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: AU, F/M, Idiots in Love, Love Confession, Mentions of Coma, Natsu is slightly ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26514583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sporadic_obsession/pseuds/sporadic_obsession
Summary: “I thought it was impossible, but you make it possible...”Natsu has never shown an interest in a relationship, but not for the reasons everyone thought.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 7
Kudos: 110





	Impossible

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is mg first Fairy Tail fic, and it’s loosely inspired by Nothing But Thieves’ new song, Impossible. I accept any criticism, I haven’t written in forever and my phone kept freezing on the notes app as I tried to type this out haha! I do admit Natsu is maybe a little ooc from what we’re used to, but it made sense to write him like this. Nope you like it!

People had always assumed Natsu was, to put it nicely, unaware - unaware of proper etiquette, unaware of boundaries, unaware of responsibility. Still, he had his moments, where everyone could see that was not the case - he simply chose not to care too much, in order to avoid the stress and headaches he could see everyone else dealing with. What everyone always agreed on, however, was that Natsu was very unaware of feelings. Not every feeling, no - they knew he had strong feelings towards his friends, towards his family. But when it came to love, he always seemed aloof to the concept, like he had never given it a second (or first, even) thought; like he didn’t understand that was something he had within him, or that he could feel.

Truth be told, he was much too aware of it, and, much like with everything else, was doing his best to avoid it. It was true he had never shown an interest in a relationship before - not since Lisanna, and even then, he’d acted so nonchalant about the whole thing, everyone thought he was just playing along for her sake.

Lisanna had been Natsu’s first love.

A childhood friend, they had grown up together - he could tell many stories of them playing as little kids, playing house in the forest next to his own home and even adopting a stray kitten which eventually found its place at the end of Natsu’s bed. Every day, Lisanna would hug Natsu a little tighter than everyone, and on some days they were alone, they exchanged a quick peck on the lips as she welcomed him to their ‘home’. Sure, they were kids at first and it was just play pretend, but as they continued growing, the play pretend never stopped. When they began middle school, holding hands was as natural as breathing, and their quick pecks behind closed door became a little more. They never ventured much further than a few heated kisses, and at school Natsu always denied the fact they were dating, no matter how much it looked like they were, and both he and Lisanna were okay with that.

And, suddenly, it stopped.

He always remembered the moment it happened; he didn’t think he’d ever forget it. Zeref, his older brother, was running a little late - he had a date, but he was barely out of the shower when the phone rang. Thinking it was his girlfriend, asking for the millionth time where he was, he’d asked Natsu to pick up; if he could avoid the earful for a little longer, he might be able to finally get ready. Yet, it hadn’t beenMavis on the other - no, it was Makarov, the man who had taken care of them after their father died, until Zeref was old enough to take custody of Natsu anyway.

“Yo, gramps!,” had been grinned into the phone by a fourteen-year-old Natsu, his free hand running through Happy’s unusual blue fur.

“Natsu...” He’d known the instant he heard his grandfather’s voice something was wrong. Natsu had taken after him, being loud and boisterous and full of excitement; when Makarov had sounded so very quiet, so sad, he’d known instantly something was seriously wrong. His eyes had narrowed and his ears perked up to listen closely, and he could almost hear his own heart sink as Makarov explained what had happened. “There’s been an accident... Elfman, he did everything he could to swerve the truck but he wasn’t fast enough... Mira’s a little scratched up but she’ll be fine...” There was a pause, and then Natsu’s world collapsed a little on itself. “Lisanna’s in a coma, Natsu...”

The only person, to this day, who’d seen Natsu cry, had been Zeref. He was just done getting ready, finally exiting the bathroom, when the tears had welled up in his younger brother’s eyes. He was wearing his best shirt, pressed and ironed to perfection for his date with Mavis, but as soon as he saw how broken Natsu looked, he hurried to him and pulled him close, shirt immediately stained with his heavy tears. He’d reached him just in time to grab his phone, which was sliding out of Natsu’s hand as he caved into his sadness and slumped into Zeref’s chest. He knew by then it wasn’t Mavis on the phone.

“What happened?” He didn’t bother to say hello, couldn’t find it in himself to care about who could be on the other side, just needed to know what had happened, what had caused his brother to look as dejected as the day Igneel, their father, had died. He held Natsu close with one arm, feeling crinkles form in his shirt and the tears sink through to his chest, and listened to Makarov’s explanation of what had happened. He’d known for a long time that Natsu loved Lisanna - even when he denied his teasing, and even when he insisted their little make out sessions were study sessions. He knew all about it, and understood immediately what Natsu was so broken about - if it had been Mavis, he would be just as lost.

Ever since that day, Natsu had chosen not to care about relationships. Most girls weren’t interesting enough for him to want to care about it anyway, but his friends always thought that his lack of interest was because he was so oblivious to the concept. He hadn’t stopped being his loud, obnoxious self - he never could, it was part of what made him Natsu; maybe that was why his friends never thought that Natsu’s uninterest in dating or flirting or even sex was due to what had happened with Lisanna; he seemed so normal, so himself, they never realized how affected he was by it.

Then, Lucy happened.

Lucy, with her long blonde hair and trusting brown eyes; Lucy, who he had to sweep away from prying hands before she found herself changed forever; Lucy, who’d snuck her way into his life in such a rush he hadn’t even had a chance to close his heart’s door before she’d found her way inside, nestled comfortably in a space of her own, somewhere between his friends and his family, in a vacant chair he’d never even noticed was there, empty and waiting.

He’d thought he’d known what love was - that comfortable feeling of peace he felt whenever Lisanna had held his hand, the quiet whispers of a future he could never quite see until she described it in as few words as possible so he’d understand, the routine they’d carved together so easily... but it was different with Lucy. Lucy sent sparks through his vessels whenever she touched his arm; she made his brain turn to mush whenever she laughed at one of his dumb jokes; she made something feral come out whenever she was swept away from their side by Loke, a man with such sweet talk even Natsu found himself fooled by it sometimes. Lucy never fell for it, though; even when Loke locked his arm in hers and dragged her away, she was always back a minute later, chuckling about how silly he was - she knew he had a good heart, and flirting with her, and every other girl in the vicinity, was just a way for him to guard his own heart from pain. Natsu had admired how clever she was towards everyone’s feelings from day one.

Sometimes, he found himself wondering if he should let his own feelings be known - if he should just trust that life wouldn’t hurt him like that a third time - taking away someone he loved with no rhyme or reason - and just let himself drown in Lucy.He wasn’t sure what it was about her that drew him in so completely, but he found himself almost cursed with love for her - he loved how she didn’t treat him like a dumb guy, how she never tried to simplify her words for him despite knowing well he wasn’t well versed in all the different words she used, and instead taught him more and more about everything she loved, making him love it as well; he loved how she was always working on improving herself, despite adversities, and how honest with everyone she was, about her own feelings and about their own behaviors; he loved how her hair smelled like strawberry every day, and wondered how long he’d thought of strawberry as his favorite food.

“So, are you going to tell her or not?”

Zeref’s voice had broken through Natsu’s brain like a hammer, and he jumped slightly at its suddenness. He blinked a couple of times, realizing he was hanging upside down on their couch, and his brother was all dressed up by the door to the living room. It had been years since he and Mavis had started dating, yet Zeref never stopped dressing up whenever they were going somewhere, as if he still needed to impress her. Natsu could almost tease him for it, if he still wasn’t scowling at his brother’s words.

“Have no idea what you mean,” he’d said, hoping to sound as aloof as everyone thought him to be. He knew he wasn’t successful as soon as he heard his brother snicker. “Why’re you all dressed up anyway? Don’t’cha think Mavis would’ve left already if she didn’t like you? I mean, she’s seen you in some very compromising getups...”

“Don’t try to change the subject, little brother,” Zeref cut him off rapidly. “I know you think you’re so sly, but I can read you like a book. I know you’re fooling everyone else, but you can’t fool me.” Suddenly, the tone in Zeref’s voice became serious, and Natsu found he couldn’t give one of his witty retorts. “Natsu, how much longer are you going to torture yourself? You love her, I know you do so don’t try to deny it, so why do you keep running from it?” As Natsu realized he couldn’t escape this conversation, he groaned lowly and began twisting his body around, rolling until he was sitting upright. Zeref went and sat next to him, legs spread as he rested his elbows on his thighs, peering at Natsu’s face as he tried to hide behind his pink bangs, still wet from the shower he’d had not long ago. “Look, I know what happened with Lisanna hurt,” he held his brother’s arm as he saw his jaw clench, “but you can’t let it chain you forever. Lisanna would’ve wanted you to be happy... /I/ want you to be happy. You’re twenty-one, now; I think it’s time to stop enduring the pain just because it’s scary to dive into something new.”

There were a few moments of silence between the two brothers, Natsu’s head hanging low as he mulled over Zeref’s words. He’d lost sight, somewhere along the way, of the reason why he wouldn’t give in to his love for Lucy. It wasn’t just his fear of losing her, it was his fear of being rejected; why would such a beautiful, intelligent woman want to go out with a dumb guy like him? Sure, he’d gotten into college but just barely, and he was only half-assing it until he could join the fire corps officially, anyway. She was top of her class in most subjects, and was halfway done writing a book. They were so far apart in terms of accomplishments it felt like they stood on two different worlds.

“I love her,” Natsu whispered, earning a small eye roll from his brother - he knew that much, he didn’t have to say it, “and it’s not that I don’t want to be with her, but... what if something happens to her? I’m not... I don’t love Lisanna like that anymore, but I can remember how much it hurt when she went into a coma, and I don’t want to hurt like that ever again...”

“Natsu, I can’t guarantee that nothing will ever happen to Lucy, but what if it doesn’t? You can’t wait until it’s safe to tell her you love her, she might not wait forever. I’m constantly worried about Mavis, she does lead a pretty dangerous life as it is, but I think it’d be worse if I wasn’t with her, because I’d be worried anyway, but would’t be able to do anything about it.”

“But what if something happens to _me_?” Natsu’s voice was even quieter now, and if the two brothers hadn’t been graced with some kind of extra good hearing, Zeref doubted he’d have heard it. “I’ll be going into the fire corps soon. I’ll put myself on the line over and over. What if I tell her, we start dating and something happens to me? How can I hurt her like that?”

“Natsu.” Zeref’s tone was scolding, and he had a frown on his face. “What did I just say? Do you think it’d hurt her any less if you get hurt when you’re just friends?” The black-haired older brother scoffed, patting his brother’s arm. “Everyone can see she loves you so much, idiot. You can practically see hearts fly out of her head whenever she’s looking at you. Whether you’re dating or not, she’ll be heartbroken if something happens. So you best make sure nothing does.” There was a slight tightness in Zeref’s voice now, as if it hurt him just to think about the possibility of his brother being hurt. “Not just for her. Your friends would be hurt too. Mavis, Makarov and Erza would feel like they’d lost family, too. So make sure you do your best so nothing happens.” An arm was wrapped around Natsu’s shoulders and he was pulled close to Zeref’s side. “I don’t think I’d be able to get over it, Natsu. Love comes in many forms. Denying her love because you’re scared of hurting her is stupid, when you’re already loved by her, and by everyone else.”

The two brothers had stayed quiet for a while longer after that, Natsu’s hands balled into fists on his lap as he shook slightly, a few silent tears rolling down his cheeks. Zeref didn’t offer more words of comfort, just held him close so he could process everything while still not feeling abandoned, alone; he knew Natsu well, knew he could see the truth in his words, and would take some time to unravel everything so he could finally move forward.

When Natsu had pulled away to rub his forearm over his eyes to clear his view, Zeref patted his back and finally got up to head to his date. By now, Mavis never insisted when he was late - she knew he’d arrive anyway, he just wasn’t the best at tracking time, and he was never late for no good reason. Being left alone in the house, Natsu decided enough was enough - he had to get out of the slump he’d dug himself to. He ran a hand through his hair, still slightly wet from his shower earlier, and nodded as he headed for his bedroom to get ready - unlike his brother, he made sure to shower with plenty of time left, when he agreed to go somewhere.

Natsu had never gone on a date before, but from seeing his brother dress up several times over the years to go meet Mavis somewhere, he was fairly confident that his white button up, black jeans and blazer were a good choice. Not that he was going on a date - in fact, he was headed to meet his friends over at their usual hangout bar, Fairy Tail (owned by his grandfather, of all people), because Lucy had said she wanted to celebrate her possible book deal. She’d sent a rough copy of her manuscript to dozens of publishers, and one had shown enough interest to ask her to contact them again once she was done, and she counted it as a big win. Of course, Natsu was ecstatic for her, and would never let her celebrate without him - not only because he loved to see her so happy, but also because, despite being their favorite place to hang out, Fairy Tail was full of perverts who would love to get their hands on her, and Natsu couldn’t let that happen.

Feeling satisfied with his get up, he patted his cat Happy’s sleeping head as he grabbed his phone, keys and wallet and headed out of the house he and his brother shared - their childhood home, inherited by Zeref at eighteen, as their father had willed during his final months.

The walk to Fairy Tail wasn’t far, and before long Natsu found himself inside the bar, heading straight to the table he and his friends usually shared. He could see his best friend Gray there, already, a slight tint on his cheeks as his girlfriend Juvia leaned against his side; they’d only been dating for a few months, after many more months of Juvia going after the boy, and despite it all Natsu knew he was whipped already. On the bench opposite to them, Erza and Jellal were sharing a piece of her favorite strawberry cake, mostly eaten by Erza as Jellal just chuckled at the delighted look on her face. Natsu considered delaying himself by going to the counter to say hi to Mira since Lucy hadn’t arrived yet, but before he could dodge them, Jellal spotted him, one eyebrow raising in confusion at his unusual attire, but waved him over anyway. Natsu knew he’d get asked questions about his outfit, and wanted to avoid them, but now Erza, his adopted sister, had seen him too and if he ignored her he’d never hear the end of it.

“Yo, guys,” he said upon arrival, immediately glaring at Gray as he saw him snicker as he looked him up and down. “You got a problem, Ice Princess?,” he spat out, all but ready to brawl the other boy for his teasing look when he heard her voice. Snapping his head in the direction of the door, Natsu froze as he saw Lucy walk into the bar with her arm linked with Loke’s, lips in a wide smile as she walked towards their table. Natsu was frozen out of sudden fear, jealousy and just full of love for the smiling woman. It was all too much, it was way too many emotions for him to deal with, and he felt himself begin to tremble a little. God, he was pathetic.

Lucy turned to face him, and as soon as her eyes found his face, even from afar, he could see a softness in them he’d chosen to ignore for a long time. Despite feeling trapped by his own emotions, terrified like a deer in headlights, he couldn’t help but grin his widest grin, reserved only for her. He felt his jitters calm, and once she was close enough he waved his hand a little. “Yo, Luce!”

“Hey Natsu! Everyone!” Lucy’s voice was cheerful as she greeted him, and then everyone else as if they were an after thought. No one seemed to mind, however and greeted her back with a smile. By now, she’d removed her arm from Loke’s, and as he sat she chose to stand by Natsu’s side instead, arm touching his blazer lightly. He felt the urge to throw his arm over her shoulders, brush away some hairs covering her otherwise showing skin, but fought it. If he held her now, he was done for - he’d never let her go.

“So, Lucy, is there a special occasion we weren’t informed of?” Erza had just wiped her mouth with a napkin after finishing her slice of cake when she posed the question, looking between Lucy and Natsu at Lucy’s puzzled look. “You’re both dressed very... respectfully.” The red-headed woman narrowed her eyes as she saw a slight rosy tone ghost over Natsu’s cheeks, and heard Lucy’s awkward laugh. “Did y—“

“I insisted on taking Lucy to a good restaurant to celebrate.” Loke’s voice cut through Erza’s own words before she could finish asking her question, and a sudden silence fell upon the group of friends - for one, because no one ever dared interrupt Erza; and two, because that sounded almost like... 

“Like a date?”

Natsu couldn’t, for the life of him, realize who asked the question. It could have been any of his friends; hell, it could have been himself, and he wouldn’t have known. His ears were buzzing as blood rushed through him, blazing hot as jealousy seemed to win the war with his other emotions, for the moment. He felt himself clench his fists, but made sure no other change was visible - he wanted nothing more than to sock Loke in the face for taking his Lucy on a date to a fancy restaurant he knew he’d never fit in at, but knew he had no right to. She really wasn’t his Lucy, was she? She was just Luce, his best friend, his secret love.

He was about to excuse himself from the conversation when he heard Gray’s voice.

“What about you, fire breath? What’cha so fancy for? Did you go on a date too?” He could see the grin on Gray’s face, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes that Natsu didn’t miss; he wasn’t sure if Gray had caught his clenched fists or if he’d figured it out long ago, but he knew then and there that Gray knew about his secret. The thought should scare him, but it felt slightly comforting to know Gray knew, and didn’t tease him for it. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, eager to hear his answer, and thought about lying for a second - maybe he could say he had gone on a date too, see if Lucy reacted like he had, gauge her feelings with his little lie. He glanced at her soft face, and realized he could never trick her like that.

“Zeref,” he said, as way of explaining, shrugging off his blazer as if bothered by it, the top two buttons of his shirt becoming undone under his quick hand. He dropped the blazer on the seat next to Gray, swiftly avoiding the open spot next to Loke and Lucy, who’d sat down sometime during his undressing, and nodded at the bar. “I’m gonna go order, anyone want anything?” Before anyone could answer, he forced himself to grin naturally at Lucy. “‘Cept you. I already know what you want.”

After repeating everyone’s order back to them so he wouldn’t get them wrong, he headed towards the bar, grabbing a stool to sit on as he waited for their drinks. He could ask Mira to bring the drinks to their table and head back, but he needed a little time away to get a grip on his emotions and compose himself.

“So it’s my fault you’re all dressed up, huh?”

Natsu groaned as he heard his brother’s remark, turning his head a little to his left to find him there, leaning casually against the counter. He shrugged a shoulder slightly in response, head falling on his hand as he propped it up on his elbow.

“Technically, yeah; you did give me that pep talk,” the pink haired younger man commented, sounding both bored and strained, somehow. “Not that it was any use, I waited too long, Loke’s already taking her on dates.” There was bitterness mixed with hurt in Natsu’s voice now, but he managed to keep his unbothered expression intact. Before Zeref could interrupt, he raised an eyebrow. “Was your date with Mavis here? Why did you get all dressed up?”

“Pot, meet kettle,” the responde came from behind him, and Natsu raised his head so he could turn back and see Mavis. She looked beautiful in a knee-long, flowing red dress, her hair cascading down her back. She was holding two drinks, one in each hand, and in addition to her usual charm bracelet, given to her many Christmas’ ago by him, Natsu spotted a piece of jewelry he’d never seen her wear before - a silver ring with a black stone in the shape of a raindrop fit snuggly on her fourth finger of her left hand and—

“Fuck!” Forgetting his troubles for a moment, demeanor changing almost comically, Natsu whipped around to face Zeref. “Did you finally propose?!” At the grin he received in response, Natsu jumped off his stool and hugged his brother close, his eyes watering slightly in happiness. “Big brother! ‘Grats! It was about time!” Releasing the male, Natsu pried the drinks from Mavis’ hands and hugged her too, their difference in height meaning he lifted her off the ground as he held her, laughing. “I can officially call you big sis!” He let her go after a few seconds, and, forgetting about all their drinks, grabbed both Mavis’ and Zeref’s hands, dragging them to his friends to tell them the good news.

“Yo guys, guess what?” His friends stared at Natsu in confusion, looking between him and the couple he’d dragged with him to their table. “Zeref finally grew a pair and proposed!” Grinning so wide it was almost infectious, the pink haired male watched his friends get up to congratulate his big brother and soon-to-be big sister. In his excitement, Natsu forgot to pretend to be indifferent to love. “It’s been so long, right? I’ve been asking him every day for /years/ when he was gonna propose, it only made sense, but he kept saying it would be when the time was right, and never told me anything! I could have helped set it up, could have filmed it even, but he didn’t even ask.” That last part was said with a pout which made Lucy giggle, and Natsu’s own heart fluttered at that sound.

“I was under the impression you didn’t care that much about love, Natsu,” came the inevitable comment, straight from Jellal’s lips. He had a puzzled look in his eye, and when silence fell once again upon the table, only broken by the sound of Erza’s elbow hitting the blue-haired’s side, Natsu’s face became beet red.

“Ah, if you only knew...” The reply came from his left, and Natsu turned his head to glare slightly at his traitor of a future sister-in-law, to which she replied with an innocent smile. “He acts all tough but I know some of my dates with Zeref were Natsu’s idea,” Mavis continued, batting her eyelashes at Natsu as everyone leaned forward, curious. “If he wasn’t such a stubborn butthead, I’m sure he’d have confessed his undying love in a most spectacular manner and made everyone swoon.”

Mouth hanging open, Natsu released Mavis’ and Zeref’s hands from his own, shock filling his system. Mavis had just outed him. She’d told everyone he had love to confess, and that, despite appearances, he was a big romantic sap. He watched Zeref wrap his arm around his fiancée and whisper something in his ear, and saw her apologetic look towards him - he couldn’t be angry at her, as he knew she could never quite filter her words, so he smiled in understanding, hand going to mess the hair in the back of his head as a nervous habit.

He was about to face his friend’s curious glances when Mira arrived with their drinks and, just like that, everyone forgot about what they’d heard and went back to celebrating Lucy’s accomplishment, and Zeref and Mavis’ engagement.

After a few hours of light drinking and playing some billiard even though most of them barely understood the rules, Natsu and Lucy bid farewell as he vowed to walk her home as he normally did after their nights out. Things had become easy between them after a few drinks, and as they walked the streets of Magnolia, Natsu’s blazer over Lucy’s shoulders to fend off the cool breeze that had lifted in the night, he couldn’t help but wish that, should he tell her how he felt, everything would continue to be as easy.

“Natsu,” Lucy called in a pensive hum, earning a soft sound from the back of his throat as acknowledgement. “Who’s the lucky lady?” He narrowed his eyes slightly, confusion coating his expression as he turned to her. “The recipient of your undying love. C’mon, is it someone we know?” There was a slight tightness in Lucy’s voice, well masked for any standard listener, but Natsu knew better.

“Luce,” he called out, as a warning.

“C’mon Natsu, we’re best friends,right? How come you won’t tell me?” Her words seemed a little rushed as she pulled the blazer tighter around herself, almost as if she was... desperate.

_ Could it be...? _

“Lucy.” This time, it wasn’t a warning - it was an answer. Still, the blonde didn’t pick up on it, thinking he was scolding her into silence. They stopped as they reached her apartment building, and Natsu turned to look at his secret love’s face as she tried to pry the information from him. “Lucy,” he said once more, but as she continued, now leaning back against the outside of her apartment complex as if she needed to lean against it to stand up straight, he couldn’t help it anymore.

Planting both hands on the wall above her head, he boxed her in, forehead resting upon hers as he whispered his nickname for her once again. “Luce.” His eyes found hers, and as he saw a glint of hope in them, he knew he had to say it; he couldn’t keep holding their happiness hostage just because he was scared.

“I- After Lisanna, I shut off... everything. Anyone new, I shut them off, I didn’t wanna lose anyone else... I closed my heart, I thought it’d be impossible for me to open up to anyone new...” His voice was quiet, singed by the pain of remembering his past, how it had affected him. Still, he smiled awkwardly, eyes opening to look into her big, round ones. “And then you happened... and you were a tornado of events and emotions so big, before I knew it you were in... And you weren’t just a friend like Gray, but you weren’t a sister like Erza, but I... I couldn’t let you be /that/, so I settled for best friend. I was so scared, I am still but... You’re Lucy Heartfilia, smart and kind and beautiful, but you’re so much more... You’re Luce. _My Luce_. And I...” Natsu hesitated for a moment, seeing the tears in Lucy’s eyes, but he could tell they were not sad tears - he could always read her emotions so well, as if he’d studied a class specifically dedicated to recognizing the different twinkles in her eyes. “I love you, Luce. I don’t wanna be scared anymore.”

“Natsu...” There was a tremble in Lucy’s voice, and Natsu lowered one of his hands to her face, craddling her cheek gently against his palm. He’d done this before, when Lucy had cried about her father’s death, but back then he’d pulled her head to his chest and held her close. Now, though, he just held her face like it was the most precious thing he’d ever touched as his lips closed in on hers, stopping just short of a kiss. Her eyes were closed, tears swimming on her eyelashes as he stared at them, and her breath was drawn in short gasps through her slightly parted lips; he licked his own, wishing they weren’t so chapped from the cold, before finally closing his eyes and closing their distance, the sparks he often felt when her fingers touched his arm, or his neck, or his wrist, this time starting from his lips and spreading like wildfire throughout his entire body.

Their kiss wasn’t more than lips resting upon lips, her hands resting against his chest, one of them messing up his previously ironed shirt as it held onto it as if locking him in place; his hand was still on her face, his other coming to rest on the side of her neck as his thumb caressed her jaw softly to appease the fireworks going on inside of him. It felt like his heart was about to burst, but he realized that was a good feeling - he wasn’t hurting, he wasn’t denying himself something that made him happy. As they parted so they could breathe, his forehead rested once more against hers, as he wanted to be as close as possible to her without being overbearing.

“I love you, Natsu Dragneel,” she whispered, eyes still closed. Some of her tears had managed to roll down her cheeks, and he moved both hands to wipe at them gently, using the chance to trace the soft skin under her eyes as if he was revering it. “I’ve loved you since I met you. I was ready to live my life with you as my best friend, because at least I’d have you. I was scared too, scared of ruining our friendship, of losing you over my feelings, but I don’t wanna be scared either.” As Lucy opened her eyes, he could see her smile in them, her happiness glistening as her black pupils focused on his own eyes. “Let’s face our fears together, alright?”

Moving forward to give her another soft kiss, Natsu let his hands fall to her waist before he pulled her in for a hug. He held her tight as his chin rested on her head, a gentle, happy sigh passing his lips as he lowered his nose towards her hair, smelling the usual strawberry scent he couldn’t stop being obsessed with. He placed a kiss on the top of her head, giving a little nod, before smiling against it.

“Together.”


End file.
